Random Orioles and American League East notes while waiting for the ball to drop:

*Word that Tsuyoshi Wada could soon be ready to pitch for the Orioles after undergoing Tommy John surgery — Buck Showalter sounded quite optimistic earlier this month — is good news on many fronts. One of those is for all lovers of headlines that make you smile and groan at the same time. Going back to when he signed, we had “Wada deal,” so let’s get the “what a/Wada” headlines warming up in the bullpen.

*Former Oriole Miguel Tejada, who spent part of last season with Triple-A Norfolk and hasn’t played in the majors since 2011 with the Giants, has signed a minor-league deal with the Royals. “I'm so happy because this is what I was aiming for, a chance to get back to the majors," Tejada said. The Royals also signed former Orioles outfielder Endy Chavez, who played 64 games for the O’s last season.

*While the Red Sox and Mike Napoli are in renegotiation over the free-agent deal agreed to before Boston learned about Napoli’s hip injury, the Sox are hedging their bets by reportedly checking out veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu by putting him through fielding drills at first base, a position he hasn’t played before. Abreu, 38, spent parts of last season with the Angels and Dodgers, getting cut by both and finishing with a combined .242 batting average in 219 at-bats.